Why Young Children's Social and Emotional Development?

Brain imaging research reveals the astonishing impact early childhood experiences have on the physical architecture of the brain. Other research shows the indivisible interrelationship of early growth in cognitive, physical and mental health. The foundational importance of social and emotional development in early childhood to success in learning, regulating behavior, and building positive relationships throughout life is increasingly recognized. The neuroscience of the first five years of a child's life is clear. Public policies and programs intended to support the healthy development of children have not kept pace with the science. Establishing systems for identifying potential social and emotional development issues as early as possible and assuring access to timely and appropriate early intervention is not only more economical and effective than treating a problem later--such as school failure or incarceration--but early support also minimizes the damage to a child's potential and a family's well-being.

Program Goal

This funding opportunity is intended to support the design and implementation of a coordinated system of early screening and intervention for the healthy social and emotional development of young children in three to four Kansas communities. The specific goals of the funding are 1) to stimulate coordinated community-wide screening of pregnant women, new mothers, and young children and 2) to improve coordination among relevant child-serving organizations to assure timely and appropriate promotion, prevention, and treatment for young children's social and emotional development.

Program Components

Proposed projects are expected to develop positive aspects of a comprehensive, coordinated approach to children’s social and emotional development and overcome common barriers to early identification and intervention.  With the vision of supporting children and families while minimizing “labeling,” positive components of a program which strategies should address include:

• Parental skills and knowledge about child development and about identifying needs and accessing services
• Widespread adoption of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire as a screening tool
• Screening and referral skills and knowledge among early childhood education and health care professionals as well as other potential referral sources such as the faith community, social service agencies, public schools, and law enforcement. 
• Workforce and program capacity of the mental health delivery system to provide services to young children.
• Navigational supports for families and referral sources
• Referral coordination and follow-up
• Availability of effective, evidenced-based early interventions
• Communication and language to reduce stigma and cultural barriers and improve understanding of young children's mental health
• Key stakeholder--including parents/caregivers--engagement and support

In addition, data collection should be part of proposals and address at least the following:

• Rates of screening for pregnant women, new mothers, and/or young children
• Rates and categories of referrals
• Ratio of screening to those receiving services
• Length of time from referral to services
• Measures of effectiveness of services

Eligible Applicants

A 50l(c)(3) public charity or governmental entity serving a Kansas community is eligible.  It is expected that community-level partnerships will already exist or be organized for this project to support a coordinated approach to mental health for young children.  At a minimum, the following stakeholder groups should be represented in the proposal:

• Mental health care (Mental Health Center, mental health providers)
• Early childhood education (Head Start, Tiny K, Parents as Teachers, child care providers, preschools, etc.)
• Primary medical care (pediatricians, family medicine physicians, physician assistants, nurses, community health centers, health departments, etc.)
• Consumers (parents or other primary caregivers of at-risk children or children receiving services)

Projects that include broader representation of key stakeholders – faith communities, social service agencies, government, and k-12 public schools, for instance – are preferred.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Criteria for Selection

• Effectiveness of the proposed strategies in addressing the Program Components.
• Clear understanding of community needs and strengths including knowledge of available baseline data and numbers of people to be served.
• Development of an organized parent/primary caregiver voice to represent parent concerns, issues, and needs through the planning, implementation, and evaluation process.
• Evidence to support the effectiveness of any proposed early intervention or, in the case of innovation, strong logic to justify the intervention and plans for gathering data to evaluate the intervention during the project.
• Commitment of key agencies/organizations to cooperation and coordination.
• Capacity of the applicant organization to implement the proposed project and manage grant funds
• Manageable plan to collect data and assess the project's impact with measurable project outcomes.
• Reasonable and cost-efficient budget
• Realistic plan to sustain benefits of the project.*
• Potential for replication in other Kansas communities

* Sustainability: likelihood of impact lasting beyond the grant period.  The hope is that work funded through this RFP is more than a time-limited project.  The project should make semi-permanent changes in policies and practices and create community resources which have an extended life beyond a one or two-year timeframe.  This concept is broader than “sustainability” which may assume continuation of all funded activities, which is not usually reasonable to expect.  However, projects should be designed to have some important benefits to early identification and early intervention that will continue after the funded work is completed.

Available Funds

$600,000 has been committed to this program. The maximum individual grant award will be $200,000.

Period of Work

Funded projects will begin January 1, 2013. Projects will extend over two years.

Restrictions on Uses of Funds

• Indirect expenses are limited to no more than 10% of the grant award.
• Lobbying expenses are limited to no more than 5% of grant funds.

Important Dates

Online Proposal Due - October 1, 2012
Site Visits* - October 2012
Health Fund Decision - November 30, 2012
Project Start Date - January 1, 2013
First Payment - January 10, 2013

*Health Fund staff and/or consultants may conduct a site visit as part of the review of your proposal.

Learning Community and Grant Reporting

• Grantees are expected to participate in a learning community of funded projects. Each project will designate a project director and at least one co-learner to participate in telephone or webinar conference calls and potentially two face-to-face meetings. These will occur not more frequently than quarterly.
• Written reporting will be limited to a single final narrative covering the entire grant period and financial reports on six-month intervals. Additional oral reports may be requested.
• Evaluation measures will be proposed by the applicant in the proposal. Evaluation activities for selected proposals may be revised with the help of external consultants as part of the final grant documentation process.
• Expenses of attendance at learning community functions are not part of the grant award and will be separately funded by the Health Ministry Fund.